Version: 0.91 / Suddenly, can´t export as PNG File

see answer in German ;)

@suv: Does this problem still exist in trunk?

We are having so many questions about this, that I guess this might really be a big problem for users - and some of them will probably just give up instead of asking. Or is this intentional, even, and not a real bug?

On 2015-07-11 20:26 (+0200), Hachmann wrote:
> @suv: Does this problem still exist in trunk?

Which problem exactly? AFAIU there is no "real" problem (as in 'bug')
here (but maybe I misunderstand your as well as the original question).

Changes in Inkscape 0.91:
The only related major change in Inkscape 0.91 I am aware of is that the
formerly called Bitmap Export dialog (along with XML Editor, Object
properties, Image Properties, Tiled Clones, Text and Font, Check
Spelling) is now dockable too (and docked in the main window by
default). Before, these few dialogs had not been dockable at all (i.e.
always floating - independent of the preference setting for dialog
behavior).

Some users apparently fail to notice that the dialog now opens by
default in the dock of the current Inkscape document window. The feature
of dockable dialogs is not new in 0.91 though - a majority of commonly
used dialogs was already like this in earlier versions (think of
'Layers', 'Fill and Stroke' or 'Align and Distribute').

Dockbar and switcher buttons:
1) Minimized (iconified) dialogs (buttons on a vertical toolbar on the
right side of the dock): to the best of my knowledge Inkscape does not
minimize dialogs into the dock by itself - that's still the user
clicking at some point on the button with the triangle in the titlebar
of the dockable dialog.
If there is a problem that dialogs in the dock are restored incorrectly
as minimized in the next session, then this should be investigated and
reported as specific issue (with precise steps to reproduce).
IIRC there's one change in behavior with the updated copy of GDL in
Inkscape 0.91 that minimizing one dialog of a group of stacked dialogs
minimizes them all (that's different from 0.48).
2) Stacked dialogs in the dock of the main window (actually a notebook,
with 'switcher' buttons underneath instead of tabs at the top for each
of the stacked dialogs) are not new in Inkscape 0.91 either - maybe the
update of the GDL library and the new feature to restore dialogs from
last session sometimes does re-arrange dialogs somewhat unexpectedly
(IIRC there are a few (rather vague) reports/complaints about that already).

Note that the buttons for minimized dialogs (dockbar) as well as the
buttons for stacked dialogs (switcher) can be configured to display as
icon only, as icon with text (current default), or as text only.

Dialogs and GDL docks in general:
If you disagree with - to the best of my knowledge - Inkscape aiming for
a long time to have all dialogs C++ified and GDL-based to support being
dockable in the main window (or in a floating dock) - that's up to you.
Feel free to file a report if you want the changes implemented in
Inkscape 0.91 to be reverted (either for all changed dialogs (see list
above), or only for a few special cases which should never ever be
dockable (i.e. which should ignore the preference setting for dialog
behavior).
If you disagree with the current defaults for dialog behavior (unchanged
in 0.91), or with defaults for individual dialogs (whether to open in a
floating dock or docked in the main window - Trace Bitmap, Document
Properties are examples for dockable dialogs which open in a floating
dock with default settings) - feel free to file a report with a plan for
the general setting for dialog behavior (dockable (as before), or forced
floating), and a list of dialogs which should open their own floating
dock with default preferences.

Doubts:
Maybe though - and this would need to be investigated in detail - under
certain circumstances, there is some kind of unexpected interaction in
Inkscape 0.91 with preferences which originate from 0.48; maybe even of
a kind which affects Inkscape users on Windows more often than on other
platforms. I can't tell - maybe Windows users just more often ask the
question about the Bitmap Export dialog because they are the largest
user base, or because they are more averse to changes in the interface
than linux users, I don't know.

@suv: I think you got me wrong here. I don't want a feature change, I was only thinking that there might be a bug / a more or less severe usability issue somewhere.

There are so many user questions here from users not finding the icons / complaining about dialogs not opening, and this made me think there really might be problem. That's why I asked if this is a bug at all. I can't tell you if these users have clicked on the triangle icon or not, I'll ask the next one (or Patrick can help, maybe).
I think there are probably a lot more users who experienced this problem, but only a tiny fraction will ever get here to this answers section - and many of those will have found a solution using the search here.

Small collection:
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/263046
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/269129
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/265848
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/269067
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/261630
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/267997
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/263966
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/263046
http://askubuntu.com/questions/602589/inkscape-export-bitmap-not-working

possible more:
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/268767
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/265159

I think for the amount of questions asked here, this is quite a frequent problem.

To be honest:
If I try to open a dialog from a menu, or using a keyboard shortcut, I expect it to open (in the dock or whereever).
I would never expect it to be minimized away in some bar, even if it had been minimized before.
I don't know if that is possible, though, but that would be a useful behaviour.

(for myself, as I have a 4:3 monitor, I don't use docked dialogs, they steal too much space and have too often behaved unexpectedly / the expected behaviour wasn't obvious to me - but I can easily change that in the preferences, knowing my way around).

(#263046 appears twice, sorry, only just noticed)

Maybe (sorry, I forgot about this one) - it's actually about
* Bug #1270295 “minimized docked dialogs don't open from the menu, toolbar button or shortcut (rev >= 10992)”
  https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/1270295

which indeed is an annoying regression compared to Inkscape 0.48.

Yes, this sounds indeed as if it could be a match :) Thanks, suv!